Panel members of post-doctoral and graduate student women speaking on issues women face in the sciences. PC: Samantha Sobol

The Women in Science Post-doctoral and Graduate Student Panel event was a safe space for the Dartmouth community to discuss effective ways to navigate sexism that is pervasive, especially in the STEM professional world. Individuals on the panel shared their personal experiences with how they have been able to triumph over gender discrimination as a woman in academia and in STEM. The event also included dinner where GWISE students and the overall graduate community could interact. Even as a student affiliated with MALS, I found this event to be incredibly inspiring and useful. This is the type of event that creates an open dialogue so change can be effectuated against gender inequality.

A group of attendees and volunteers participating in the game after the panel to workshop skills to have in the sciences. PC: Samantha Sobol

The workshop was an effective way to think about what is most critical to have a good workplace environment. Smaller groups were formed to talk about what issues we individually think are necessary for a positive workplace. A few ideas were selected from each group and then we debated in a larger discussion, weighing the pros and cons of each concept. Some of these ideas included having consistent research results and open-mindedness. The debate exercise was a valuable way to practice conveying our ideas verbally on the spot. As a collective group we voted on two issues discussed that were most important to us. We unanimously said that there is no place for sexism of any kind within any environment, in particular a professional one and that working overtime shouldn’t be a constant in a person’s schedule.

Graduate students making vision boards for the new year and beyond. Photo: Samantha Sobol

To start off the new year, Graduate Student Activities Coordinator, Sara Perz-Hintz, organized a gathering of students to create a visual representation of where they want to be in the next year. The overall tone of the event was friendly and it was a great way to meet other grad students! It was cool to see how everyone's vision board was a unique representation of themselves. The light-hearted crafting environment made it a comfortable place to delve into self-development. The worksheets were a very helpful way to plan for the upcoming year and even included goal-setting for five and ten years from now. I didn't expect to think about how my life might be a decade from now. Thinking about plans from a bigger-picture perspective was beneficial for me.

See if you can make a vision board on your own and include goals for the future. We don't get much time to think about what we will do after graduate school. But take 10 minutes this weekend and ask yourself where you want to go, what you want to do, who you want to be near after graduation. Then start setting smaller short-term goals to make those things happen. Does anyone know of a resource to help with this kind of planning? Comment on this post to start a conversation and share resources!

Under the proposed tax plan tuition waivers are to be considered taxable income. Dartmouth tuition will be considered as earned income, increasing your taxable income by ~$50,000/year (Dartmouth 2017-18 Schedule of Charges). Although your stipend would remain the same, you will be in an increased tax bracket, paying taxes on your tuition and stipend as though they were both earned income! Please see below for more information and what you can do about it.

We are calling on all graduate students to contact your representatives!